Employees at REI’s only Chicago location vote to unionize

Workers at REI’s only Chicago location voted to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday.

Employees of the outdoor goods retailer’s Chicago location said yes to the union in a vote of 41 to eight, with five ballots challenged, according to RWDSU spokesperson Chelsea Connor. The store’s staff include employees who sell outdoor gear and apparel, handle inventory and repair gear, including bikes and skis.

The 905 W. Eastman St. store is the fourth unionized REI in the country. Since the spring of 2022, REI staff have voted to unionize at stores in Manhattan, Berkeley, California, and Ohio.

In a statement, REI worker and organizing committee member Sarah Diefenbach said the vote was a “win for the people who REI has unfairly fired, denied transfers and promotions to, denied the opportunity to flourish in the proper department to and so many other grievances.”

“We the workers of REI Chicago in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park all deserve to be paid a living wage with consistent predictable hours for the expert advice we provide to the community and have a say in the day to day running of our store,” Diefenbach said.

REI said in a statement that it “believes in the right of every eligible employee to vote for or against union representation.”

“We fully supported our Lincoln Park employees through the vote process and we will continue to support our employees going forward as they begin to navigate the collective bargaining process,” the company said.

In March, REI staff asked company management to voluntarily recognize their union, which REI declined to do. The workers then filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

Since the Chicago filing, staff at REI locations in Boston, Durham, North Carolina, Bellingham, Washington, and Eugene, Oregon, have also filed for elections with the NLRB, seeking representation with the United Food and Commercial Workers.

RWDSU represents employees at the New York and Ohio stores, while workers at the Berkeley location are represented by the UFCW.

The unionized stores make up a small fraction of the company’s approximately 180 locations across the country, but represent momentum within the labor movement to organize employees of retail giants such as Starbucks and Amazon.

In March, some staff members at the Chicago store said they were seeking a union in part because they previously tried to raise concerns about their working conditions to store management to no avail. Staff said they were particularly concerned by reduced hours for shop employees, which they said caused economic hardship for workers and left the store understaffed.

REI employees also said they hoped to hold the company accountable to its progressive image. The consumer co-op has long emphasized its commitment to the environment and sustainability.

During union campaigns at other stores, RWDSU has accused REI of making “every effort to union bust coast-to-coast.” RWDSU and UFCW have filed unfair labor practice charges against REI regarding union campaigns in other states; those charges remain under investigation by the NLRB. No charges have been filed regarding the Chicago union campaign, Connor said.

No union campaigns have been announced at REI’s other Chicago-area locations, which are in Northbrook, Oakbrook Terrace, Vernon Hills and Orland Park.